COLORADO HUNTING HELP

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brdng154

Guest
Any one familiar with the Vail area Elk hunting scene?

White River ELK GMU 35,36,44,45?

I will be hunting this zone 2nd rifle season this year.
Has anyone hunted this area?

Any advise on locations, methods, where to glass, wallows, past kill sites?

4 of us will be camping out for several nights to get into the backcountry. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

I hear the Gore mountain range holds large bulls....
 
Not to be pessimestic, but realisitc: You may need to hope for some snow. By the time you hit the woods, there will have been a month of archery hunters, a 9 day muzzleloader season, the first rifle season, and the rut will be over. So the bulls will be hunting the darkest timber and hell hole canyons away from people and other elk.

I think the classic elk hunting strategy really applies in this case: Cover a lot of ground until you find some fresh sign, then back off, slow way down and don't spook them out of the area.

All I can tell you about this area is that it is really beautiful country. Never hunted there. Good luck.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Ya I have hunted the same hunt also.. Not to be negative but the bulls get cleaned up by the time your ready to whack one. Need lots of snow also. Will be a tough hunt. I never seen a bull over 330 class. Good luck
 
I have hunted the Gore Range in 2005 for archery elk and rifle deer. I managed to get a cow, but mature bulls were few. This is some very difficult country to hunt; probably the steepest in northern Colorado. Success rates are about 7 to 15 percent for bulls.

Since you are hunting in general season expect lots of other hunters, with the near distance to Denver and I70. Not to sound negative but you might consider checking out the area south of Steamboat Springs, it would be a better option for a legal bull.

If you are set on hunting in unit 36 and 45, check out the back side of Vail Mountain and Slate Mountain and plan to get off the roads by several miles before daylight.
 
Thanks for the reality check and information.

Our plan is to backpack in the day before a couple of miles so we are ahead of the crowds come opening morning. Then each day get deaper into the wilderness and away from the crowds.

I assume the bulls will not be bugling this time of year -post rut & pressure.

Can anyone shed some light onto finding "hell holes" on the TOPO maps? I understand finding saddles and drainages are helpful.

Is it safe to say that the bulls will go to higher elevation in these parts when pressured, considering the snow is not too deep?

Do many outfitters/drop camps operate in this area?
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-14-07 AT 06:01PM (MST)[p]I have read that in unit 35 and 36 that the bulls will dive into steep draninages without access or go down onto private land, depending on their options. So if you get a lot of snow hunt next to the private land, if no snow, go to the head of drainages that don't have any roads and drop down in there to check for sign. Steep north facing slopes(bedding areas) with access to southern facing slopes(feeding areas) would be the first place to start. Look for contour lines very close together then spaced apart about 1/3 of the way down the mountain, this should be a bench that could provide some action. Good luck, live and learn.
 
I agree with the prevoius post, and there is some steep terrian in unit 36. One outfitter provides drop camps into the Slate Mountain and Upper Piney Creek drainages, they are based out of the lake area. I don't recall any other outfitters operating in this area. I never hunted in the lower reaches of Piney Creek, but have hiked in and fished several times; it looks like some thick country that would hold bulls. You might consider contacting the CDOW in Glenwood Springs and talk to Jason. Good luck.
 
Although I've never hunted elk in Unit 36, I have seen several good bulls on the steep slopes near timberline within the Eagles Nest. As already said, you might want to try looking at the heads of the drainages near timberline. It should be a fun hunt in some beautiful country.
 
leanard -
What is the outfitters name and do you know if this outfitter offers pack-out services?
Thanks.

Lien2
 

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